Quest 1: Is there enough?

Nearly all the water in the world is salt water that is not suitable for human
use. Most of the fresh water is locked in the ice caps or deep underground and
where it’s difficult to reach. Only a small amount of fresh water can be easily
reached in lakes, rivers, the soil, the air and plants. These usable fresh
water resources are enough to support the world’s population three times over.

The world's water

KEY:

Salt water.

Fresh water in ice caps or deep underground.

Fresh water that is easily reached.

Despite this, water supplies are unevenly distributed due to climate and
physical landforms. As a result one third of the earth’s land surface lacks
enough water. Water supplies may also become limited, exhausted or unsafe to
use where too many people use the same water sources. Both these situations can
cause extreme difficulty for people, known as water-stress. The World Health
Organisation estimates that one in six people do not have access to safe water.
That’s about one billion people.